


Look After You

by lechaton17



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Family, Feels, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, One Shot, Pre-Kerberos Mission
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-18 00:47:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16984950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lechaton17/pseuds/lechaton17
Summary: Pre-Kerberos. Keith, struggling with the thought of Shiro leaving, runs away into the desert before a storm. Shiro goes to find him, and they get stuck waiting out the storm together.





	Look After You

**Author's Note:**

> <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 For a wonderful friend who I love very much <3 <3 <3

The clouds were dark and ominous looking. A storm was coming in, and it was coming quickly. Shiro was trying to finish his work so he could head back before the storm hit. They were saying it was going to be one of the worst storms in years. Of course it was just a few days before they were due to leave for Kerberos. Shiro could only hope that the storm passed quickly enough and didn’t damper their plans too much. Shiro had to admit that he was a bit nervous about the trip. He felt like it was his last chance to go out and show what he could do, be the great pilot everyone saw him as. And he didn’t want anything to get in the way of that. 

“Shirogane!”

Shiro looked around to see Iverson heading towards him. He looked annoyed, and Shiro tried to think of a reason Iverson would be mad at him. 

“I thought you had a handle on that Kogane kid,” Iverson said, crossing his arms and glaring. 

Shiro frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean he deliberately disobeyed me. He took one of the hoverbikes out even though I told him that there was a storm coming and that all students were to report to their rooms.”

Shiro felt his body tense up. “Keith took a bike out right now? By himself?”

“Yes, right in front of me, while I was telling him to go back to his room-Shirogane!”

Shiro walked around Iverson, not waiting for him to finish the sentence. “I’ll go find him,” he said absently, waving his hand. He didn’t care if Iverson found him rude for walking away. The storm hadn’t hit yet, but it would soon, and Shiro didn’t like the idea of Keith being out in the desert when it did. It wasn’t just the storm that had Shiro worried, though. Keith knew better. He knew not to go riding out into the desert right before a storm hit, especially not alone. This wasn’t just him being disobedient to Iverson. 

Shiro had known Keith long enough now to know when Keith had to be hurting in some way. And when Keith was hurting, he’d either lash out, or run away. Though Shiro had been able to get through to Keith and build a relationship with him, that didn’t take away all of Keith’s pain and worry. There was still moments, and whole days even, where he could feel Keith start to pull away from him, and Shiro had to try and pull him back in. Keith had been having quite a few of these moments since he found out that Kerberos was for sure happening. And Shiro couldn’t help but worry. 

Shiro got on a hoverbike of his own and took off into the desert, the dark clouds rumbling above him. He took the path that he and Keith would normally take, and hoped that Keith had at least thought to take the path as well. Keith had gotten quite good at their hoverbike races now, the path a lot easier and quicker for him to navigate, so Shiro had to push the bike as fast as he possibly could to catch up with him. The rain started to fall not long after Shiro took off, starting off as a light drizzle, but soon becoming heavier. The wind picked up, trying to push his hoverbike off course. It was getting difficult to see, and the thunder was not helping to calm Shiro’s nerves. He was starting to panic that Keith hadn’t taken their normal path at all when he finally saw it- the outline of a hoverbike barely visible through the dark rain and a small shape sprawled next to it. 

Shiro pulled his bike to a halt, trembling with both cold from the rain and his own fear. He lost his footing and crashed down into the mud, but he barely registered it as he climbed back to his feet and ran to Keith. The bike Keith had come out was crashed several feet away, and Keith was turned on his side facing away from Shiro. Shiro’s heart hammered in his chest as he put his hand on Keith’s shoulder. He felt Keith tense slightly, and it gave Shiro some relief. 

“Keith,” Shiro said, his voice barely audible through the downpour of rain. Keith turned his head slightly to look at him. Shiro took this as another good sign. “Keith, are you hurt?”

The rain fell down on them, both of them already soaked through. Keith’s eyes gazed at Shiro, first as if he couldn’t believe he was there. But then Keith looked away, the way he often did when he was hurting. “I-I don’t know,” Keith replied, his voice shaking. “I t-tried to get up after I f-fell but my...my ankle hurt and I fell a-again.”

Shiro took a deep breath. “Okay, let me take a look. Which ankle?”

“The r-right.”

Being as gentle as he could, Shiro took a look at Keith’s ankle. It was already bruised and swelling. Shiro wasn’t sure if it was broken or not, but it was at least sprained. Keith definitely shouldn’t be walking on it or even biking. 

Lightning flashed, thunder booming. Keith flinched. The storm wasn’t getting any better. Shiro wasn’t sure that he’d be able to get Keith back to the Garrison safely until the rain let up a bit. He looked around, trying to find somewhere they could at least get shelter. He spotted a small overhang somewhat sheltered by the rocks close to them. It would have to do. 

“All right,” Shiro said, talking as loudly and clearly as he could through the downpour. “I’m going to help you up. We need to get out of this rain until it calms. Try not to put any weight on your bad ankle.”

Keith just nodded. Shiro helped him sit up and then pulled him to his feet. Keith was trembling worse than Shiro was, and standing up was too much for him. Shiro wrapped his arms around Keith before he could fall again. Keith clung to him, his eyes shut tight. 

“You’re okay,” Shiro assured him, even though the situation they were in was definitely not okay. “You don’t have to walk. I’ll carry you, okay?”

Keith just nodded again. Shiro pulled him up into his arms and carried him towards their rocky shelter, trying to keep the pounding rain off of Keith the best he could. It was a relief once they were underneath the little shetler the rocks gave them. At least the rain and wind didn’t reach them, and Shiro could see and hear Keith a bit better. He lowered them to the ground, letting Keith lean back against the rocky wall. Shiro pulled away to give Keith his space, but Keith grabbed Shiro’s soaked jacked and clung to it desperately. Shiro felt his heart break a little at the pain in Keith’s eyes, pain that had nothing to do with his ankle. 

Shiro scooted next to Keith, so they were sitting shoulder to shoulder. Keith didn’t let go of his jacket sleeve. 

“What happened, Keith?” Shiro asked him. 

Keith was looking away from Shiro. “The storm hit and I crashed the bike.”

“That’s not what I meant. Why did you go out here in the first place?”

Keith didn’t answer at first. Shiro waited patiently as Keith stared out at the desert, the rain continuing to fall. Keith felt tense next to him, his grip on Shiro’s jacket tight. 

“I don’t-” Keith started, but then he stopped. He took a deep breath. “I don’t want to be here without you. I don’t want you to go to Kerberos.”

Shiro felt his throat tighten. “Keith…”

“Look, I know it’s selfish of me, or whatever,” Keith said, still not looking at him. “I get that you want to do this, or you need to do this. I know that. But I...I don’t have friends here, Shiro. I don’t have anyone. You’re the only one who cares that I’m here. You’re the only one who….” Keith sighed, frustrated. “Everyone always leaves.”

Shiro wasn’t sure what to say. Keith continued to stare out at the desert, though his eyes were far away. He was probably thinking of the mother who left him, the father who died, and every other adult who had crossed his path and never cared. When Shiro had first met Keith he had felt a desire to help him. He wasn’t even sure what it was about Keith, but something about him just made Shiro feel connected to him. Shiro wanted nothing more than to see Keith succeed and do well, to open his heart and find the family -the love- he needed. Shiro had done everything he could to be that for Keith. And he would keep being there for Keith as long as his days allowed him to. 

“Keith,” Shiro said, his voice a bit strained. “Keith, look at me.”

Keith swallowed hard. He turned and looked at Shiro, his eyes full of fear. 

“You’ve been doing so well since I first met you,” Shiro told him. “You really have come a long way. You have something inside of you, something you have yet to see. But I can see it. I can see that you are going to do amazing things, Keith. You have a big heart, and a desire to learn and grow. You’ve shown that to me. You’ve had a lot of unfair things happen to you in your life, but you still find it in yourself to be better, and to try. And I’m proud of you for that.”

Keith shook his head. “I’ve only come this far because you helped me.”

Shiro chuckled. “You don’t give yourself enough credit. You’re going to be okay, Keith. I’m not saying it’ll be easy. And it won’t ever be perfect. But you’ll be okay. You’re going to find your place in this world, where you are meant to be. You’re stronger than you’ll ever know. Even if I’m at Kerberos, that won’t change.”

Keith looked down. “It won’t be the same if you aren’t here.”

Shiro sighed. “If I could be here beside you forever, I would be. But….” His voice trailed off, and he felt Keith tense a bit. “Patience yields focus, remember? Even if I’m not right here next to you, I’ll still be here. I’ll still be proud of you, Keith. I’ll still care about you. I won’t give up on you, so you need to promise me you won’t give up on yourself, either.”

Keith looked back up at Shiro, his eyes bright despite the darkness of the storm. “Patience yields focus.” 

Shiro smiled. 

They fell into a comfortable silence, both of them listening to the rain for several minutes. They were soaked, Keith was hurt, and Shiro really wanted a nice warm bed right about now, but in a way he was thankful for this moment with Keith. He hadn’t gotten to see him much the past couple days, and he was really going to miss him while he was gone. He was worried what would happen to Keith while he was gone, but he had to hope that things would work out. 

“Hey Shiro?” Keith said quietly. 

“Yeah?”

“You’re...can you promise me that you’ll come back?”

Shiro’s breath caught in his throat. Keith looked at him, his eyes full of the need to hear that Shiro would not leave him. 

Shiro didn’t want to leave him. But he knew he couldn’t promise Keith anything. 

“I promise that I’ll do everything I can to come back,” Shiro told him.

Keith’s shoulders sagged a bit, and he nodded. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

Shiro smiled sadly. He wished he couldn’t promise Keith so many things. He wished he could promise that he’d always come back. He wished he couldn’t promise that life would get easier, and that there wouldn’t always be so much fear and pain. But he couldn’t promise those things. All he could do was let Keith know that he was loved, and that Shiro cared. And Shiro could only hope that it was enough. 

Shiro put his arms around Keith and pulled him into a hug. Keith leaned his head on Shiro’s shoulder. Though Shiro didn’t know it, that moment where Shiro hugged him under the rocks would be one of the things that Keith held on to in the months following Shiro’s disappearance. Because in that moment, neither of them felt so alone. 

A few minutes later, the rain started to ease up. By the time they got back to the Garrison, it had stopped completely.


End file.
